i 9 6 



LETTERS TO MARCO 



XXIX 



They must be brave-hearted plants to stand 

 the cold on the downs as they do, thriving 

 there and spreading on the northern sides of 

 the slopes in large colonies. On these downs 

 you will find, too, a golden thistle, a mere 



Anemone pulsatilla, the " Pasque Flower." 



prickly star with no stalk at all, which defies 

 the wind and cold. The cultivated tulip of 

 our gardens fares badly in rain and snow, as 

 its early flowering and large upturned bloom 

 does not shut nearly so tight in the cold as a 

 crocus does. Its thick stalk is rigid, and gives 

 no protection by bending over. The less 



